Danny Murphy raves about Everton’s John Stones

Stones continued his fine domestic form with a starring role for England on Tuesday evening, and Danny Murphy has told talkSPORT that he is better than Rio Ferdinand was at his age.

Murphy said: “I would say he is further on than Rio at the same age. I think he is the real deal, and very much worth getting carried away about.”

Ferdinand is the player that Stones is always compared to, as their style of ball-playing defender is extremely similar.

The former Leeds and Manchester United star was already an established star at the age of 21 - the same age Stones is now - and made his debut for England as a 19-year-old.

Him and Stones seem to be progressing upon very similar paths to success, and despite the Everton man’s youth, many believe he should be first-choice central defender when England travel to France next summer for Euro 2016.

He is composed, physically strong and tactically smarter than most players his age, and whilst he is slightly overconfident with his ability to dribble out of defence on occasion, this can be coached out of him with time.

Stones looks to have all the makings of a top class centre-back, and some would say he is already one of the best in world football, and Murphy is correct to say that the 21-year-old is worth getting carried away about.

Billy Hawkins

Billy is a freelance writer who contributes to various sites concerning football. Known to possess an obsession with statistics, Eastern European club sides, and Victorian football, he focuses upon the untapped potential of the Football League in the belief it is more enjoyable than the Premier League.